A Treat for No Treaters

[Ben Framed]

There seems to be an upswing here lately in No Treat beekeeping interest. For those of you who are digging into this I have a real treat for you! I am going to make a bold statement; This fellow, in my opinion will soon be the worlds leading authority on treatment free bees, whether he happens to win, lose, or draw on his endeavorious pursuit of the right bee for the job. Richard goes into a project full steam ahead, seeking every answer possible for what ever adventurous beekeeping avenue he may seeking. He is Richard Noel, Brittany France and he is excited! Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/oP4Mrk6khQg

[charentejohn]

Not that far from me, well 300km anyway.   Good video and I will bear him in mind if ever I need a queen (if he sells them, I will ask). 
Nice to see someone rearing ocal queens as very hard to find.  I can buy 'pure' breeds like Buckfast and Caniolan but they will give me pure bred bees not suited to here, great to have mongrel bee queen.
I have a local supplier that does local nucs, with my dodgy french, I asked what sort they were and she said they were Carniolan once so a bit like them.  That's the spirit    There is another supplier that does bees only and has lots of hives so they have a high chance of mating with the group drones.  Google translate will work as in french.  She lost a lot to insecticide spraying one year and is just recovering, she does treat prior to sale, as do the other local ones, but they are good local stock.  https://s1dabeilles.jimdofree.com/
Impossible to find untreated bees so I will ask if he knows of any near me, can't hurt to ask. 

The other guy looking into 'survivor' I guess bees is Ron Hoskins https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/14171369.rons-battle-to-save-swindons-f1-bees-from-a-parasite-causing-a-worldwide-decline/  He had some bees which showed immunity to DWV but he didn't know why.  Main site here http://www.swindonhoneybeeconservation.org.uk/about-us/
He was making progress but sadly his apiary was vandalised and equipment burned but now recovering, he has been doing this a long time.  Perhaps the UK version of what Richard Noel is doing.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks charentejohn, .

Though I am not in this calling, I most definitely appreciate what Richard and all others associated with this project are doing, I am hoping for their success.

Richard was speaking of a network of researching beekeepers who have joined forces from all over the world, sharing up to the minute information and notes of success and failures of their efforts in developing a TF bee. This a very modern and intensive approach with very intelligent keepers sharing not only information, but bees themselves as breeding stock in the cooperative effort to develop a bee with the desired trait in a TF (bloodline), if you will,  which will resist varroa destructor. A very honorable cause, well worth noting in my humble opinion.
Thanks for your comments.





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[charentejohn]

I would imagine all these groups share information at some point and to some extent as they publish various things they find.
I see Frederick Dunn commented on it as he is a well known (I would assume) TF / Survivor bee keeper in the US.  I am not keen of his hive types and he started using OA vapour a while ago as he felt his bees were pulling out too many infected larvae.  Didn't get that myself but I do like his attitude and the information he provides.

There is an old video of Ron Hoskins from 2015 so hopefully they will have moved on since then.  Explains the adaptation against DWV.  Main thing I take from this, as anyone may guess, is that left alone they will sort it out.  I did note that they need a level of varroa to be able to deal with them or they will lose that ability ?  Interesting.  Breeding resistant bees is not so easy if non resistant bees keep turning the clock back.  Not a fan of artificial insemination and prefer the mating nuc idea.
Basically until the resistant bees can outbreed the others in the wild then it will be a slow, if ever, process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUFDXl8VGvs     

[Ben Framed]

Maybe so, I have a lot of confidence in Richard. Whether he will win, lose, or draw. As far as development of TF bees, He will do his best. He and his group including Sue Colby.

[charentejohn]

You are right, the more people creating TF bees the better.  To some extent if each country has a few people doing it or involved in such projetcts the better the chance of the TF bees outbreeding the others.
I have seen other projects to genetically modify bees (the famous Frankenbee) which is nuts, this system of breeding for good traits is the way to go.